CLAW BBQ

Time Out Says

When Claw first opened, the current trend for cool, casual bars hadn’t quite yet caught on – at least not to the extent that it has in the past year or two.

Back in 2013, the place felt excitingly different with its frat-style interiors, gargantuan buckets of crab and garish American flags. And that all still works. To an extent.

We don’t expect Claw to revolutionise its image and become a cookie-cutter version of all the “edgier” establishments dotted around the city. The décor is kitsch and fun, but perhaps piled on a little too thickly. The humorous signs on the walls, exposed brick and all-American sports flags are starting to seem a bit trite.

All that said, there’s still a place for what Claw does in Dubai’s, and certainly in Downtown’s, nightlife scene, and we’d make a beeline for it out of everywhere in Souk Al Bahar.

It’s both laid-back and unpretentious and we’re fans of the mammoth portions of seafood. It also has a cheerful atmosphere that makes it feel more like heading to your local than anywhere else in the area.

Claw doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s certainly something we don’t want to see change. But a bit of an update would do the place some good.

The bottom lineIt keeps us coming back, but a revamp would go a long way.

By Time Out Dubai staff | 07 Mar 2017

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